How to Sew a Super Simple Skirt – Sewing 101

Learn how to sew a super simple skirt with this free and easy elastic waist skirt pattern building tutorial!

Valerie Bryant is back with another incredibly helpful Sewing 101 post. Now that we’ve learned the basics, she’s showing us how to make a super easy beginner skirt. There are tons of pictures with each step after the jump, so you won’t get lost! If you love Sewing 101, be sure to check out Valerie’s blog and her shop.

This beginner skirt sewing tutorial for an elastic waist skirt pattern is a simple project with tons of variations. Make it as a mini skirt with a floral fabric, as a knee-length solid for a great basic, or use a lightweight, flowy fabric in a midi-length for a super classy get-up! You could make it a million different ways, and no two would look the same.

Supplies:

You’re going to make your own elastic waist skirt pattern as you go simply by measuring yourself and following these steps. Here are the supplies you’ll need. This list contains affiliate links, so I may receive a small commission from purchases.

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*Make sure you get a fabric that does not stretch. Mine is a cotton twill, and any type of cotton or linen would work well.

How to Measure Yourself for a Skirt/Making Your Own Elastic Waist Skirt Pattern

How to Measure Your Body

Hip – With your measuring tape, measure around the largest part of your rear. This is your hip measurement.

Waist – For this skirt, measure around your waist at the point where you would like the skirt to sit.

Length – Now measure the total length you would like the skirt to be. I do this by looking in a mirror, and letting the end of the tape drop down to my desired length. The measurement on the part of the tape that is at my waist is the length.

Converting Your Body Measurement to Fabric Measurements

For the length of your skirt fabric, start by adding 3.5 inches to your length measurement. For example, I want my skirt to be 20 inches long, so my length for the fabric is 20 + 3.5 = 23.5 inches.

You can also adjust the number you add to your hip measurement depending on your desired fullness of the skirt. Adding more than 10 will give you a fuller skirt; adding less than 10 will be more fitted, but make sure you leave enough room to move!

I made this skirt tonight and it turned out so cute! I’ve been trying to pick sewing back up after 7 years and several projects have ended in tears. I’m planning to make three more. Thanks for saving my summer wardrobe.

You’re so welcome, Sydney! You can make it a little more straight by adding less than 10 inches to the hip measurement in the measurement section; more full if you add more than 10. Hope you were able to figure it out! :)

WOW, I can’t believe how you have eased my mind. You have just made sewing look like fun and not something that would be very difficult to learn and understand. Where were you when I took home-economics class. You could have taught my instructor a thing or two. I probably would have gotten a better grade. Anyway, I am impressed and amazed by how simple you have made it to understand my sewing machine, as well as how to sew. God bless you.

Hi! I love how easy to follow this tutorial is… Do you think this would work to make a simple dress if we just measured from the bust instead of the hips and made the fabric longer? My roommate and I are trying to find a way to make a simple dress with an elastic band!

currently attempting this tutorial with a reclaimed curtain i bought at a garage sale. first sewing project i’m attempting by myself and i’m so nervous! trying to convince myself to go further than just taking my measurements!

Hi I made this skirt it was so easy I could not believe I actually made something! I felt so god to know I was capable making a skirt! I also made one for the American girl doll type doll and it turned out adorable!!!!

Hi there! this is just the skirt I’m looking for very simple, but I like a thick waistband. So was just curious if adding a waistband without a zipper would work or adding in three inch elastic into the waistband stil without using a zipper would be better since your skirt already has the elastic. Thx in advance.

Hi Jess! I’m not entirely sure, as this was a tutorial by Valerie writing as a guest. However, I think that if you used a material that wasn’t very rigid, you could probably get away with skipping the zipper. However, I don’t think there’d be any benefit to using wider elastic. I hope that helps!

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I’ve finished cutting out my version of this skirt and just need to sew the pieces together. Your tutorial was super simple, and even me (who hasn’t sewn in nearly 6 years) understood everything :)

Thank you so much for this tutorial. My husband bought me some beautiful fabric for mother’s day and I’d like to make a few of these. Also, I really like your dress form. I need one! Where did you get yours?

Thank you so much for this tutorial – I just followed it and whipped up my first ever skirt in about 2 hours!!! :D a little big but now I will just look up how to take it in by half an inch and I’m sorted – so pleased tahnk you :)

Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just what we were looking. Me and my mom absolutely love making skirts and these skirts are really easy and also a little complicated. I needed a skirt made in 48 hours stat because of my Choir, Bells and Orchestra witch was happening the next night. This is soooooo easy so my mom decided to use these directions for my skirt and for my two little sisters its also is really quick.LOVE IT …Parker (age 10)

Thank you so much for an amazingly simple skirt! I just made one for my daughter for a school play she is in. I am still intimidated by my machine when it comes to making clothing, but your tutorial was so easy. I appreciate the detailed pictures too.

This skirt is adorable…thanks for the tutorial! I bought 1.5 yds of fabric and I am in the process of making the skirt. I have just cut out my first rectangle (and I cut very close to the edge of the fabric)and now the next step says to repeat the process and cut out a second rectangle…but I do not have enough fabric to cut out a second rectangle! My measurements were the same as yours and I folded the fabric correctly, but cannot figure out what I am doing wrong! Can you help me?! Thanks!

I’ve always found it helpful and maybe even necessary to stitch thru the elastic waistband at the side seams. This stops the elastic from shifting. Make sure the fullness id distributed evenly before doing this.Fran

I’ve been wanting to forge into sewing my own clothes but was a bit intimidated. This tutorial is definitely making me more confident about just jumping in and doing it! (I have just the fabric in mind, too).

First of all, I’m a big fan of layering tights and boots to make warm-weather skirts and dresses work in the fall and winter.

Secondly, I think Valerie makes a great point that you could adjust this skirt with different lengths and fabrics. I think it would be great in a midi length in a heavier fabric, like corduroy, for winter.

I agree with Lindsay! The fabric I used is actually a little bit heavier (it’s a twill, and other cold-weather fabrics like corduroy or even velvet would also work!), and I definitely plan to pair it with some tights and sweaters for fall!

I cannot for the life of me sew!! I started working on a skirt yesterday evening, and decided to hem it first. Stupid me!! Just this morning I realized I had used the wrong stitch! I used the running stitch(?) instead of the ladder stitch(?). (I am awful at remembering the names of the stitches and when to use them correctly. I flunked my home-ec final in 8th grade, but hey, look at me now! I’m at least putting forth the effort, right?)Ugh! I’m going to go douse my pain and watch Judge Judy and eat the last of the chocolate ice cream. If only I could figure out the cursed sewing machine, all my problems would vanish!!

I cannot for the life of me sew!! I started working on a skirt yesterday evening, and decided to hem it first. Stupid me!! Just this morning I realized I had used the wrong stitch! I used the running stitch(?) instead of the ladder stitch(?). (I am awful at remembering the names of the stitches and when to use them correctly. I flunked my home-ec final in 8th grade, but hey, look at me now! I’m at least putting forth the effort, right?)Ugh! I’m going to go douse my pain and watch Judge Judy and eat the last of the chocolate ice cream. If only I could figure out the cursed sewing machine, all my problems would vanish!!